Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Taylor

I apologize in advance that this post is really long.

So this past week was Spring Break at UVU. It is the first time I have had spring break in four years. It was soooo nice to not have to go class. Unfortunately Karl didn't get a break. He still had to be responsible and go to school. So for spring break I went home to Nevada to visit my family and try to help out with everything that was going on. So for those who didn't get the whole story I thought I'd do an update on how Taylor is doing. At least what I know, which isn't tons.

In 2008 Taylor was diagnosed with Celiac disease (which means he can't eat glutten which is in flour and makes things hard) and Graves disease (hyperthyroidism). This all happened just before me and Karl got married and on top of that Tay ended up in the hospital with pneumonia. My parents are amazing for pulling all that off. Anyways, Tay has been on medicine to try and regulate his thyroid but whenever he goes on meds to slow it down he would flip to hypothyroidism, so they would try to speed it up and he would go back hyper. His turn over rate was way faster than it should be so they decided to try and do radioactive iodine (hereafter refered to as RI) therapy to just kill his thyroid so it would be easier to regulate his condition.

He was able to get this done last week while I was down there. I am such a nerd. I thought it was so cool that I got to watch Tay's scan and practice taking heart rates and blood pressures that weren't 120/80. That was a little scary though. Tay's heart rate was around 120 every time I took it and his blood pressure it was around 160/70. But I am really starting to think that I like nursing so that is good. Anyways.We went into Vegas on Wednesday to do a scan, then again Thursday morning for another one. After waiting around for a few hours (good thing March Madness had started) they were able to give him the RI to kill the thyroid. The dose was just low enough that he could come home (29.9 mg and max dose is 30 mg). He would just have to stay in his room so he wouldn't contaminate everyone else.

We got him home and he was doing really well. Then on Friday he started dry heaving (apparently nausea is a very rare side effect that no one told us about and Tay was lucky enough to get it). He wouldn't eat or drink anything. He just layed in bed all day (which is not normal for Tay. He didn't even want to play America's Funniest Home Videos, which is his favorite game.) By the end of the day he was throwing up, still wouldn't eat and ended up in the hospital. He came back Saturday morning super hydrated from being on an IV all night. He did a lot better, even managed a bite of apple sauce. But then that night he started throwing up again. All night. In the morning my dad was trying to get him to drink something. He told that that if he didn't drink and eat his ice chips he was going to have to go to the hospital. Tay just looked at him and said "Dad, those are two really bad choices." So he ended back in the hospital to stay Sunday afternoon.

But after being in there he started doing a lot better. They were able monitor him, keep an IV in so he wouldn't throw up everytime he took a sip of water, and give him meds to slow his heart rate and regulate his blood pressure. The official diagnosis--Thyrotoxicosis. Not for sure what that is but I am assuming he has toxic levels of thyroid hormones. Once they figured that out they were able to help him more.

He had to stay a little longer than expected because his blood pressure wouldn't stabalize but he is home now. Just got back this afternoon. He really is such a special kid. He never complains. Whenever I would ask how he was feeling it was either "Just great" "I feel better now (even when his didn't)" or "I'm ok". When he was constantly throwing up he just kept telling my mom that he was so sorry. I am so grateful he is a part of my family. He is just amazing.

So he is home now and he is doing a lot better. It was quite the Sping Break. I'm hoping the next one isn't quite as eventful.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Church Ball Madness

When I think March Madness I think about everyone excited to watch tons of basketball, games always on TV, fun brackets to fill out, and plenty of excuses to make treats (come on, you have to have something to munch on during the games). Church ball is pretty much the last thing I would have thought but apparently it fits right it, just not in the fun way.

I'm not really the biggest fan of Church ball because sometimes it gets crazy. I'm always scared Karl is going to get hurt so I just cringe the whole time. Fouls aren't the most consistent or just don't exist(depending on the ref). But I guess that is just part of the experience. But I swear basketball just has a way of bringing out the worst in people, or at least most of us. I swear Karl is immune to anger, he hardly lets anything phase him. The other people on the team and sideline, myself included, are not so fortunate. Last night was just another testament of that.

The end of the game was close and both sides were getting frustrated. There were a lot of fouls, a lot shoving, and I was just staring at the clock wishing the game would end so only two players (both on Karl's team) would be leaving with blood stains and Karl wouldn't be next. With not even a minute left I was reminded as to why I am not always a big fan of basketball. The refs made a call and the other team didn't like it.

Side note: I have no idea why anyone in their right mind would want to be a ref. No matter what you call people hate you. Even if you were somehow able to call a perfect game people still don't like you. It just seems like a no win situation. Back to my story.

So they made a call and the other team went crazy! They were screaming at the ref from the court, the bench, and even the spectators were getting in on it. I couldn't believe it. Confession, I don't always agree with the ref, in fact I rarely do. But that doesn't give you license to yell across the gym at them. We were in a church for crying out loud. And the refs are just volunteers. At least professionals get paid to have people hate them. It was ridiculous. So the refs caved and changed their call. Our team ended up losing by two. I was just glad it ended.

But the whole point of this is that I am so impressed with Karl and James. They were both frustrated about the calls and how the game went but they didn't freak out or get angry. Karl was talking about the game on the way home, about different plays and calls, but he wasn't angry or upset, he didn't bash the refs or the other team. He just took it all. Cami has said the same thing about James. I think it must be a Jepson gene. I'm more on the opposite end of the spectrum but I'm working on it. So I'd just like to say thanks you guys for your good examples and Karl, thanks for being such a good influence on me. I don't know where I'd be without you.

Monday, March 8, 2010

Valentine's Week Fun

I have decided I love Valentine's Day landing on Sunday. It makes it last so much longer. On Saturday Karl and I were able to go "help out" at Love is Blind, a fundraiser Tony organized for UFB. Our "help" consisted of checking people in and directing them to their seats. Then we were able to join in the fun. Just for the record, eating blindfolded is HARD!!! I have so much more respect for the visually impaired. I felt like I was going to knock my cup over every time I went for a drink. Half the time I thought I had something on my fork and ended up with nothing. And when something did end up in my mouth I was always surprised at what I was eating and got half of it smeared all over my face. Needless to say I think I need more practice. But it was really fun and a good experience. I highly recommend that as a date. Just make dinner and then eat blindfolded (make sure to peak every once in awhile because it is pretty funny to watch other people struggle just as much as you are). It will make for a very entertaining evening.

On the actual Sunday of Valentine's Day Karl was so cute. He got me a bag of suckers that had five clues in it. The clues were for dates for the rest of the week, but I had to figure them out by the end of the day or we couldn't do them. The end result was this...

After discovering "what President Monson would take and where he would go if there was a big leak we ended up at the Hogle Zoo. I had never been and it was a blast. Here are a few fun facts I gleaned. Scorpions glow under black lights (better file that one away for my next trip to Nevada. I hate those things), chimps like to play hide and seek, and if you are actively being attacked by a bear use anything available to try and defend yourself (now why didn't I think of that?). Here are a few pictures to go along with it.






Karl was getting in touch with his inner bat.











They have an amazing kids area. I fit right in.













The chimp was playing hide and seek in the sheets. Guess they like their privacy too.







These are the biggest turtles I have ever seen. They get to about 500 pounds and live to be about 200 years. CRAZY!!
















And here is the gross giraffe. It was getting close and personal when giraffe 2 started going to the bathroom. At first giraffe 1 looked really grossed out, then after a minute it went back for seconds. Can anyone say disgusting?

So all in all it was a very interesting trip. It rained the whole time we were there but it was nice because it kept the crowds small. I loved being able to just spend time with Karl. School keeps us both busy so it was great to just relax.